Japanese Soft-Roader Weekend Edition: Honda Civic Shuttle Beagle

One of the most iconic small Japanese 4WD wagons is the Honda Civic Shuttle, also known as the Wagovan in some markets. It combined the great basic car that was the EF-body Civic with a taller roof and more interior room, and as a bonus it was a go-anywhere four wheel drive car. The “Beagle” JDM version here features body addenda, to make it even more credible as a camping wagon. The light bar in the front is coupled with a little undertray to protect the oil pan, by the looks of it. From these promotional shots, it’s clear the Beagle was envisioned to be a city slicker, as it wears regular-issue alloy wheels, even if the design makes them easy to hose free from muck. Honda’s Real Time 4WD had a front-biased torque split of 100-0, until the viscous coupling delivered power to the rear wheels in the case of slip. No manual selector was required. And here, a Beagle in the wild, again shot by Wikimedia’s Tennen-Gas.